BC-MD--Greater Mid-Atlantic News Digest 1:30 pm, MD

January 18, 2019

Hello! Here’s a look at how AP’s general news coverage is shaping up in the Mid-Atlantic, covering North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. Questions about coverage plans are welcome and should be directed to 919-510-8937, 202-641-9660, 410-837-8315, 804-643-6646 or metro@ap.org. AP-Mid-Atlantic News Editor Steve McMillan can be reached at 804-643-6646 or smcmillan@ap.org.

A reminder this information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop, or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Advisories and digests will keep you up to date. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan at newsroom.ap.org

All times are Eastern.

Some TV and radio stations will receive shorter APNewsNow versions of the stories below, along with all updates.

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

NORTH CAROLINA

GRADE CALCULATION GLITCH

RALEIGH, N.C. — A software error caused public school students around North Carolina to receive incorrect end-of-term grades this school year, state education officials said. By Jonathan Drew. SENT: 460 words.

IN BRIEF:

_ OFFICER-UNREASONABLE FORCE: A North Carolina police officer who was fired after being accused of yanking a woman out of her car and slamming her face-first to the ground has been found guilty of using unreasonable force against her.

_ MAN KILLED-FOUR ARRESTED: Police in North Carolina have arrested four people in the death of a man during an armed robbery.

_ GREEN CARD VOTER: A federal judge has chastised election officials in North Carolina who let a Korean woman with a green card vote in three elections.

_ JUROR’S LABOR-MISTRIAL: A mistrial in a North Carolina murder case has been declared, as a juror went into premature labor after deliberations had begun.

_ GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN-OUTER BANKS: Cape Hatteras National Seashore on North Carolina’s Outer Banks is being vandalized while park staffers are furloughed during the ongoing partial federal government shutdown.

VIRGINIA

TOBACCO-AGE LIMIT

RICHMOND, Va. — Tobacco-friendly Virginia is preparing to raise the age limit on buying traditional and electric cigarettes from 18 to 21. By Alan Suderman. SENT: 130 words. Will be updated.

CNS-RIGHT TO WORK

RICHMOND, Va. _ The General Assembly’s self-described socialist member is sponsoring legislation to eliminate the state’s right-to-work law, which says employees can’t be forced to join the labor union that represents their workplace. By Rodney Robinson of Capital News Service. UPCOMING: 500 words by 5 p.m.

CNS-RACIST WAGE LAW

RICHMOND, Va. _ The Virginia Senate has voted to rescind a Jim Crow-era law that allows employers to pass less than the minimum wage to “newsboys, shoe-shine boys, ushers, doormen, concession attendants and theater cashiers” _ jobs to which African-Americans were relegated decades ago. By Daniel Berti of Capital News Service. UPCOMING: 500 words by 5 p.m.

CONGRESS-FRESHMEN DEMOCRATS

WASHINGTON— One group went to the White House with Republicans to talk about border security and reopening shuttered parts of the government. By Laurie Kellman. SENT: 1,000 words, photo.

IN BRIEF:

_ UNITED PILOT-INDECENT EXPOSURE: A United Airlines pilot has asked a judge to dismiss an indecent exposure charge against him, saying he is the victim of governmental misconduct.

_ UVA GIFT-DATA SCIENCE: The University of Virginia says it will create a School of Data Science after receiving the largest private gift in the institution’s 200-year history.

_ MOUNTAIN VALLEY TREE-SITTERS: An attorney says Mountain Valley Pipeline can’t invoke eminent domain to remove two tree-sitters protesting on land where they have no legal ownership interest.

_ STATE SALARIES: A new report shows salaries for Virginia state employees lag private-sector counterparts by an average of 14 percent.

_ GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN-IMPACT: Elected officials are holding events in northern Virginia to call attention to the hardships imposed by the partial government shutdown.

MARYLAND/DELAWARE

CLERGY ABUSE-STATE INVESTIGATIONS

PHILADELPHIA — Newly inaugurated state attorneys general said they plan to continue investigations of clergy abuse in the Roman Catholic church as thousands of victims reach out to state hotlines and online systems to report past abuse. By Claudia Lauer. SENT: 530 words, photos.

UNITED STATES-SYRIA

ALBANY, N.Y. _ One of the four Americans killed in a suicide bomb attack in Syria this week was a Navy sailor and mother of two whose father is a high-ranking officer in the New York State Police, officials said Friday. By Chris Carola. UPCOMING: 500 words

DURHAM, N.C. _ Top-ranked Duke hopes its team defense doesn’t slip without point guard Tre Jones. The injury to Jones came at a bad time for a program that was just getting back to playing the kind of tough man-to-man defense that had been a trademark after several years of struggles. By Joedy McCreary. SENT: 600 words, photos

If you have stories of regional or statewide interest, please email them to metro@ap.org. If you have photos of regional or statewide interest, please send them to the AP state photo center in New York, 888-273-6867. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact AP Customer Support at apcustomersupport@ap.org or 877-836-9477.